A different type of scenting.

[xSerpentGoddess]

I have been looking through the forums quite a bit lately. I have found a particular type of scenting I really like and I haven't seen it mentioned on here.

I was working with a baby green anaconda for a customer. He couldn't get it eating. I tried several things and the only thing she wanted was chicks. And she took them Instantly. She had absolutely no interest in anything else. She seemed hungry but refused anything but the chicks. This next part is a little graphic. I took the scalp of a frozen chick and put it right on a large f/t pup and she took it instantly. Her next feeding I plucked some feathers off of another frozen chick and put them on the head. I decreased the amount of feathers to a mere bit of fuzz. She just needs that little bit. And the rats are far more nutritious. Eventually you can wean down to nothing.

I have a young male carpet that refused anything but mice. I tried this method and it was an instant hit!

[pdomensis]

Cool. Thanks for posting.

[Jim Smith]

Actually, I was trying to find a solution to a similar problem I am having. I have a young Honduran Milk snake that will only eat pinkie mice. I tried a slightly larger rat pup (not at all too large for this snake) and he would not take it. He crawls up to it, tastes it and refuses it, but if I put in the same sized mouse, he grabs it right away. I think I'll give your method a try to see if I can get him to take the rat pups as well so I will have that option when he is full sized. Thanks for sharing.

[xSerpentGoddess]

Your welcome! I should add with the jungle carpet I only had to use a little mouse hair. For a more finicky animal the scalp might be necessary. Let me know how it goes :)

[shaunyboy]

sewing mouse heads onto rats bodies was the most extreme thing ive done

pulling the yolk sac out a dead chick using a long needle and a syringe,then squirting it over a rat

bursting mice open and rubbing mouse blood and guts over the rat,then heating the rat up with a hairdryer before offering,is a bit smelly

scalping chicks,seems easier and less smelly,so i'll keep that one in mind :)


cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

Actually, I was trying to find a solution to a similar problem I am having. I have a young Honduran Milk snake that will only eat pinkie mice. I tried a slightly larger rat pup (not at all too large for this snake) and he would not take it. He crawls up to it, tastes it and refuses it, but if I put in the same sized mouse, he grabs it right away. I think I'll give your method a try to see if I can get him to take the rat pups as well so I will have that option when he is full sized. Thanks for sharing.

usually scenting with a mouse gets them crossed over mate

heat the rat and a mouse with a hairdryer,then burst the mouse open and rub it's blood and guts all over the rat,give the rat another quick heat,then offer to the snake

sometimes braining the rat as well will make them take it

re braining
just puncture the skull with one of the points of a pair of scissors 3 or 4 times,until you see grey liquid coming out the puncture holes,then heat the head a little more and offer

once they take heavily scented rats,every 2nd feed use a little less scenting,until they take unscented

once you start to offer rats,you must be patient and no matter what,do not offer mice again


cheers shaun

[xSerpentGoddess]

Its definitely wayyy less messy! lol. Sometimes I use braining just to make it more enticing for finicky little ones. I actually haven't used the "goo" to scent another food item. That's one I will keep in mind also :)

Pulling the fur off can be a great "last step" in weaning. I swear sometimes they need just a few hairs.

I literally offered a rat pap, got no interest, put the tiniest bit of hair, and he coiled on it. I'm still working him off it.

[shaunyboy]

Its definitely wayyy less messy! lol. Sometimes I use braining just to make it more enticing for finicky little ones. I actually haven't used the "goo" to scent another food item. That's one I will keep in mind also :)

Pulling the fur off can be a great "last step" in weaning. I swear sometimes they need just a few hairs.

I literally offered a rat pap, got no interest, put the tiniest bit of hair, and he coiled on it. I'm still working him off it.

folk on the UK forums call them my frankenmice (mouse head rats body)

before i kept snakes...

if you told me i'd be sitting in my kitchen,chopping mouse heads off,then chopping rats heads off,then sewing mice heads onto rats bodies...

i would have said you were nuts...!!

amazing the lengths we go to for our snakes :D

cheers shaun

[xSerpentGoddess]

folk on the UK forums call them my frankenmice (mouse head rats body)


LOL I love it

I had such hard time touching frozen mice at first. I really wanted to handfeed my first snake. I didn't have gloves and the only reason I didn't use plastic to hold the mouse was because I was afraid shed catch the plastic and swallow part of it.. So I did it.. and now I've come so far beyond.. LOL

[Derek Roddy]

You don't actually have to get all gross with scenting. Even just bushing a mouse against a rat will rub off enough scent to get a snake to eat. Don't have to scalp, or cut or dismember anything really.

Another thing to consider is to take your entire bag of frozen rodents and place whatever you scent with inside the bag with the rodents. Just being in there is enough to scent everything else.

Cheers,
D

[xSerpentGoddess]

The baby green I was working with wouldn't take anything but chicks .. We tried the easier methods first to no avail.. One of my baby carpets, too. Rubbing it on wasn't enough for him. I didn't have to scalp anything for him. Just a few hairs. He's getting better for sure. This is really for super picky ones. We probably have between 150-200 snakes at any given time and I've only used it on 3 thus far.

[TheZoo]

folk on the UK forums call them my frankenmice (mouse head rats body)

before i kept snakes...

if you told me i'd be sitting in my kitchen,chopping mouse heads off,then chopping rats heads off,then sewing mice heads onto rats bodies...

i would have said you were nuts...!!

amazing the lengths we go to for our snakes :D

cheers shaun

what do you use to sew them on?